Mucking and loading machine



April 30, 1946.. B. WILLIAMS MUQKING AND LOADING MACHINE Filed May 28, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet -l INVENTOR. BERNARD WILLIAMS ATTORNEY.

April 1946. B. WILLIAMS 2,399,416

MUCKING AND LOADING MA CHINE' Filed May 28, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. BERNARD WILL1AM5 ATTORNEY. v

Fig. BY

Patented Apr. 30, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MUCKING AND LOADIN MACHI NE Bernard Williams, Mountain Home, Application May 28, 1945, Serial No. 596,361

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dirt handling machinery and has reference more particularly to a mucking and loading machine.

In places where large amounts of materials are handled, such as in highway construction, dam

building and mines, it is essential that some machine shall be provided for loading the muck or other materialsonto trucks or cars. I am aware that many specifically difierent machines have been invented for this purpose and attention is called to Patent No. 2,063,214, granted December 8, 1936, to Wixon and Williams.

It is evident that asuccessful machine of this type should be of as simple a construction as practical to obtain the objects for which it is designed. Among other things, the extent to which the material is lifted by the scoop or shovel through the medium of the booms or lifting arms should be limited to as small an arc as practical.

it is also necessary that the material shall be discharged at such an elevation from the ground that it can be received in an ordinary truck by means of which it can be transported to any desired position.

It is another object of this invention to pro- 'duce a machine of the type indicated that shall have such a construction that the shovel and lifting arms to which it is attached shall be rerequired to move through a comparatively small are, thereby simplifying the operating machinery and increasing the machinery capacity.

It is another object of this invention to produce a machine in which the dirt or muck is discharged from the shovel onto an upwardly and rearwardly inclined belt, which transports it to a point at the rear of the supporting vehicle or tractor and allows it to be deposited directly .onto a truck.

A further object of this invention is to produce a construction that shall be rugged and simple and which can be readily attached to an ordinary tractor of the caterpillar type and which may also be used in connection with wheel trac tors, if desired.

A further object of the invention is to produce a machine in the form of an attachment that can be manufactured and sold independently of the tractor and which will require practically no modification of the tractor.

The above objects and any others that may appear as the description proceeds are attained by means of a construction and an arrangement of parts that will now be described in detail, and for this purpose reference will be had to the accompanying drawings in which the invention has been illustrated in in which? Figure '1 is a side elevation of the invention showing the position of the tractor by broken lines;

Figure 2 is a rear elevation looking in the direction of arrows 2--2, Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the various elements pertaining to the conveyor, the hoist and the driving mechanism;

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 3-4, Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the scoop or shovel looking in the direction of arrows 5-5, Figure l.

In the drawings the tractor has been shown by broken lines and has been illustrated as of the caterpillar type. The caterpillar tread has been designated by reference numeral ID, the engine hood by reference numeral H, the operators seat by l2 and the two control levers by reference numerals l3 and I4.

Secured to the frame of the tractor at any suit able point, approximately in the relative position shown in Figure 1, are trunnions If), there being one trunnion on each side, the two trunnions being in axial alignment. Supported by the trunnions are two frames, one on each side, each frame comprising an upwardly and rearwardly inclined channel I5, another channel ll and a forwardly and upwardly rangin channel i8. Channels Hi and I] are held in a predetermined relative position by means of a plate l9 that, in the present instance, has been secured to them by welding. Secured to the upper ends of channels I6 and I! are wide channels 20. Secured to theforward ends of the side channel i! are bearing blocks 2| in which is journaled shaft 22 that carries a roller 23. At the rear ends of the side channels 20 are bearing blocks 24 in which is journaled shaft 25 carrying roller 26. Secured to the upper side of side channels 20 are parallel guide members 21 between which are slidably mounted bearing blocks 28. These blocks form bearings for the ends of shaft 29 that supports the idling roller 30. Screw 3| have their inner ends positioned against blocks 28, and by turning these screws, the blocks may be moved along the guides so as to change the tension of the conveyor belt, which has been designated by reference numera1 32. The flexible conveyor belt 32 is of endless construction and encircles rollers its preferred form, and

23 and 26.1 The lower side of the conveyor belt,

adjacent the frame member I11, is supported on an idling roller 33 that is journeled in bracket bearings 34. The upper side of the conveyor belt is supported on a series of spaced rollers 35, four of which have been shown in the drawings. On each side of the conveyor belt 32, are side walls 35 formed by plates whose upper and lower edges are secured to angle irons 31 and 28, respectively, and which are supported by and held against outward movement by means of upwardly extending bars 39, all as is shown in Figure 4. The power takeoff of shaft of the tractor has been designated by reference numeral 40 and this carries a sprocket wheel 41. Mounted for rotation in suitable bearings 42 secured to the channels l as shown most clearly in Figure 2, is a shaft 43. This shaft carries a sprocket wheel 44, a sprocket chain 45 encircles sprockets 4| and. 44 and transmits power from Shaft 49 to shaft 43. Secured to one end of shaft 43, is a sprocket wheel 48 and this, in turn, is connected by means of a sprocket chain 41 with sprocket wheel 48 mounted on shaft 49. The other end of shaft 49 carries a sprocket wheel 50 that transmits power by means of the sprocket chain 5| to sprocket wheel 52 mounted on shaft 25. An idler 53 enga es the under surface chain 5| as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

It is now evident that when shaft 40 is turned in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3, conveyor belt will be moved in the direction of the arrow or upwardly from roller 23 to roller 26, and therefore any material deposited on this belt above roller 23 will be carried upwardly and finally discharged. I

Extending from the lower or front ends of the sides 35 to the outer ends of frame members I8, is a conveyor trough comprising sides 36a and a bottom formed by a plate 54. The surface of plate 54 is arcuate and concentric with the axes of trunnions l5. Plate 54 is supported on a plurality of transversely extending angle irons 55 that are secured to the outer angle 31 by means of straps or bars 56. A load lifting device which comprises lifting arms 51 and a scoop or shovel 58 are connected with trunnions l5 about which the lifting device can oscillate. Lifting arms 51 are preferably made from strong channel iron. The front ends of the lifting arms are bent towards each other as shown in Figure 5. The scoop or shovel is positioned between the front ends of arms 5'1 as shown in Figure 5 and consists of a bottom 59 and sides 60. i

It will be observed that the distance between the sides decreases rearwardly and their upper edges are connected by means of a bar 6 l. Plates E2 of the proper shape to fit against the sides of the shovel are welded to the ends of the boom and also to the sides of the shovel so as to form an integral assembly. The bottom 59 is usually provided with an upwardly inclined section 53, as shown in Figure 1. The shovel has no rear wall, but is open both at the front and at the rear.

The tractor is provided with a winch comprising a drum 64, that is carried by shaft 65. The winch is controlled by lever l4, which also controls the brake 6B. When the power is shut ofi, the brake is applied in the manner quite customary in connection with winches. A steel cable 61 has one end provided with a threaded bolt 68 that passes through an opening in brackets 69 and is provided with a nut 10. This cable passes downwardly and around a pulley II that is carried by the brackets 12. There is, of -course,'one cable on each side and there is a pulley H connected to each end of the booms 51. Frompulley H, the cable extends upwardly and about an idler pulley 13 and from this to a pulley 14 that is rotatable about a vertical axis and from this it extends to the pulley l5 and downwardly to the winch drum 64.

It is now evident that whenever drum 64 is rotated in such a direction as to wind the cable thereon, the load lifting device will be moved upwardly in a clockwise direction when viewed as in Figure 1, until it reaches the position shown by broken lines where further movement is prevented by means of a stop 16. When the parts are in the broken line position, any material in the scoop will slide downwardly onto the conveyor belt and will be carried upwardly and rearwardly to be deposited in a truck or on the ground as the case may be. It will be seen from Figure 1 that plate 54 overlaps the conveyor belt to some extent.

Since the scoop has no rear wall, it is evident that the material would start falling out as soon as the lifting device is raised to a point beyond the angle of repose for the material. To prevent this unloading, the arcuate section, comprising the sides 36a and the bottom plate 54 have been provided. The forward end of the arcuate conveyor trough is positioned so low that no appreciable discharge of material will take place until after the scoop has reached a point above the lower end of bottom plate 54. The use of the arcuate conveyor trough simplifies the construction because it permits the rear of the scoop to be omitted. If the scoop were provided will-a rear wall some mechanism would have to be provided for releasing or removing this to permit the material to be dumped onto the conveyor belt.

It is evident that with the arcuate extension shown and described in combination with the belt conveyor, the liftin arms and scoop move through a comparatively small angle and it can therefore be operated a greater number of times per minute or per unit, than if it moved ninety degrees or more, thereby increasing the capacity of the machine.

The use of the upwardly and rearwardly extending conveyor obviates the necessity of raising the load to such a height that it will flow by gravity onto a truck and since the power necessary to lift a weight is proportional to the height to which it "is lifted, there is a saving of power inversely proportional to the height.

In connection with this, attention is called to the patentabove identified, and also to United States Patent No. 2,323,434; of July 6; 1943, from which it will be seen that with such constructions the load must be lifted above the point from which it is discharged into the truck a sufficient distance to allow the conveyor trough to be inclined at an angle greater than the angle of repose.

The construction disclosed in the drawings and herein described is low in comparison with similar machines and has a great capacity due, in a great measure, to use of the arcuate conveyor trough section and the conveyor belt which limits the are through which the load is liftedj The conveyor assembly is held in fixed'relation with the tractor by means comprising the channel bar 11 and the angle iron brace 18 shown in Figure 2. Any other equivalent means may be substituted if desired.

Having described the invention what is claimed asnewis: r

l. A mucking and loading machine comprising, a tractor, a lifting arm on each side of the tractor extending beyond the front end thereof and pivotally connected thereto, a scoop secured between the front ends of the lifting arms, a belt conveyor supported by the tractor in rearwardly and upwardly inclined position, means for operating the conveyor belt to move the top side thereof rearwardly, an arcuate conveyor trough, curved about the lifting arm pivots, extending forwardly and downwardly from the front end of the conveyor belt, said trough having a bottom, the rear end of the scoop being spaced a radial distance from the lifting arm pivots slightly greater than the corresponding distance to the outer surface of the trough bottom, the rear end of the scoop being open, and means tilting the lifting arms and scoop about the pivots'to a position where the conveyor trough bottom closes the open rear end of the scoop and then to a position in which the material is discharged onto the conveyor belt,

2. A mucking and loading machine comprising, a tractor having oppositely extending axially aligned trunnions, lifting arms on opposite sides of the tractor pivoted at their rear ends to the trunnions, a scoop positioned between and rigidly connected with the front ends of the lifting arms, a belt conveyor structure comprising, two triangular frames having their vertices resting on and connected to the tractor, the base being at the top, means securing the frames to the tractors and to each other, the base members being spaced andparallel, and rearwardly and upwardly inclined, a roller at each end of the base, a conveyor belt encircling the rollers, means for operating the conveyor belt by power derived from the tractor, means lifting the arms and the scoop to turn them about the axis of the trunnions, a conveyor trough extending forwardly and downwardly from the lower end of the conveyor belt, said trough having a bottom curved about the axis of the trunnions, the rear end of the scoop being positioned a distance from the trunnion axis slightly greater than the radial distance to the outer surface of the trough bottom, the rear end of the scoop being open, the lifting arms and the scoop moving first into a position in which the trough bottom closes the open rear end of the scoop and then into a position over the lower end of the conveyor belt to deposit material thereon.

3. A mucking and loading machine comprising, a tractor, a pair of lifting arms fulcrumed at their rear ends on trunnions extending from opposite sides of the tractor, an arm on each side, a scoop positioned between and rigidly connected with the front ends of the lifting arms, belt conveyor assembly comprising two frames having their lower ends secured to the tractor, one frame on each side, the tops of the frames comprising structural steel members positioned in spaced, parallel and upwardly and rearwardly inclined position, a roller at each end of the top members, a conveyor belt encircling the rollers, means for rotating the rollers from power derived from the tractor, a conveyor trough extending forwardly and downwardly from the front end of the conveyor belt, said trough having an arcuate bottom concentric with the axis of the trunnions, the rear end of the scoop being open and spaced from the axis of the trunnions a distance slightly greater than the radial distance from the trunnion axis to the outer surface of the trough bottoms, and means comprising cables, operated by power from the tractor, tilting the arms and scoop upwardly to bring the rear end of the scoop into overlapping position relative to the trough bottom and into position to deliver material To the conveyor.

4. A mucking and loading machine comprising, a tractor having axially aligned trunnions projecting from opposite sides, a power takeoff and a winch, a belt conveyor frame comprising a triangular frame structure positioned on each side, the vertices of the frames resting on the trunnions, the bases of the triangles being at the top, means securing the frames to the tractor body and holding them in a fixed position relative to each other and to the tractor, the bases being rearwardly and rearwardly inclined, a roller at each end of the bases, an endless conveyor belt encircling the rollers, means comprising an idler roller and adjusting means for engaging the under surface of the conveyor to adjust its tension, means transmitting power from the power takeoff to one of the conveyor rollers to move the upper side of the belt rearwardly and upwardly, a conveyor trough positioned at the front end of the conveyor belt and curved downwardly thereof, the trough having an arcuate bottom plate curved about the trunnion axis, a load lifting device comprising lifting arms having their rear ends pivoted to the trunnions, a scoop positioned between and secured to the front ends of the lifting arms, the scoop having a bottom and two sides, the rear end being open, the distance from the trunnion pivots to the rear end of the scoop being slightly greater than the distance from the trunnion axis to the outer surface of the conveyor trough bottom,

and means comprising the winch for turning the lifting arms about the trunnions.

5. A mucking and loading machine comprising, a tractor having oppositely extending axially aligned trunnions, lifting arms on opposite sides of the tractor pivoted at their rear ends to the trunnions, a scoop positioned between and rigidly connected with the front ends of the lifting arms, a frame secured to each side of the tractor extending upwardly in spaced relation, a

rearwardly and upwardly inclined conveyor carried jointly by the frames, means for operating the conveyor by power derived from the tractor, means lifting the arms and the scoop to turn them about the axis of the trunnions, a conveyor trough extending forwardly and downward- 1y from the lower end of the conveyor belt, said trough having a bottom curved about the axis of the trunnions, the rear end of the scoop being positioned a distance from the trunnion axis slightly greater than the radial distance to the outer surface of the trough bottom, the rear end of the scoop being open, the lifting arms and the scoop moving first into a position in which the trough bottom closes the open rear end of the scoop and then into a position over the lower end of the conveyor belt to deposit material thereon.

' BERNARD WILLIAMS. 

